Danganronpa/D4DJ One-Shots

Kamukura, Kuma, Kawaii, Kowai, Kiko, Kurai, Kukyo

Izuru stared down his nose at the destruction, death, and despair, red eyes critical of whatever they targeted. His long, dark hair floated in the wind, signifying his status as an ethereal entity. Faster than the blink of an eye, his hand shot up. Pinched between his thumb and forefinger was a bullet. In the same, fluid motion he flicked the bullet back the way it had come. He even faster and more accurate than a gun, but he didn't care. It didn't matter. His attacker was so skilled that she was almost immune to bullets, and so was he.

Nozomi hovered in the air behind Izuru, levitating into view. "Well, well, well, if it isn't my emo little brother." Her voice was hypnotic, enchantingly kind and soft, but it moved Izuru as much as bullets moved either of them. It was funny, they both knew what the other was or wasn't immune to, and yet, this was how they bantered.

As Gods we live, yet forced to quarrel and die as mortals we're cursed.

Izuru finally glanced over his shoulder with one, piercing red eye. Nozomi still hovered behind him, though her feet were now only inches above the building's rooftop rather than countless feet above shattered, burning pavement as she floated closer. Her hair, like his, was long and flowing. Unlike his, it was a gold so pale it was almost white, as if her hair had a natural, soft glow, because it looked even brighter than a normal white or gold. Her eyes were also a striking, brilliant cyan and she wore a dazzling, complicated uniform of the same colors. Again she contrasted with Izuru, not just in color and brightness, but style. His suit was plain and simple, one piece of material. Her uniform was layered and complex, carefully designed and decorated.

A tribute to her vanity. Creatures like us have no need for things such as arms and armor. When one was one of the only two Ultimate Ultimates to exist in the entire history of the universe, there wasn't much one had to fear. And there was no need for weapons when the two Ultimate Talented Students were the weapons. Perhaps they were even the reason why Junko's Tragedy was starting to slow down. They kept battling each other to standstill. The world was Junko's playground, but Izuru and Nozomi were the toughest kids on the block. He sided with Junko, Kuma, and Despair out of a kindred, existential boredom. Nozomi sided with Hope.

I WAS always his better half, even during conception! A tiny smirk flickered across her face. There was a reason she called him her emo little brother. Even though they were the same age physically, and Izuru was conceived as an idea first, Nozomi was the first created and given life. They had the same base powers, so the only thing that differed was knowledge and experience. Nozomi had slightly more, which meant her struggles were different than Izuru's. While he grappled with the question of whether Hope or Despair was stronger, Nozomi already knew it was Hope.

And THAT is why I am the better half, she thought. Although it was something she was proud of, there was no pridefulness in her. As far as she was concerned, it was as matter-of-fact as comparing different generations of cellphone. Izuru was powerful, yes, but Nozomi was just a little more experienced and mature. Or at least, that was how she perceived it.

Junko helped Izuru uncover his origin story, and it sounded as if the members of Project Kamukura started growing jealous and distrustful of one another. At last, the team split cleanly in half and Nozomi was conceptualized. On normal days, she was quiet, intelligent, helpful, and Hopeful. On other days, her desire to bring Hope was so intense and overwhelming that she became convinced that the universe was locked in a constant war between Kawaii and Kowai and the only way to bring about a perfect Cutopia was to purge all Ugliness from the world.

In those moments, Izuru gave her a different name: Kiko. It meant "Hope", just like "Nozomi", but Kiko Kamukura was crazier and darker, far more "kurai", than Nozomi. If he cared at all, Izuru might've insisted that he was the better half. Nozomi was a first draft, still afflicted by human emotion. Izuru was was hollow, kukyo. Talents didn't feel, and he was Talent itself. Or at least, that was how he perceived it.

Nozomi said nothing, but her eyes were knowing, and another smirk flickered across her face. True Talent is passion, is it not? All the greatest Ultimates so deeply loved something that they became the essence of the craft itself, just as Izuru and I are Talent itself. One does not become this way without feeling to drive oneself forward. Talent was the opposite of emotionless and passionless. That was why she became so passionate and emotional about Cute things.

"You're just as indecisive as me," Izuru finally said, shaking his head, hair still billowing gently in the breeze. It didn't matter how she tried to spin it, the truth of the matter was that she jumped back and forth between different halves of herself just as he did. Maybe hers weren't Hope and Despair, and maybe they weren't even Cute vs. Ugly, but Izuru could sense a struggle in Nozomi just as much as she knew there was one in him.

"It is because part of being Hopeful means that one keeps an open mind to change and a humble heart to criticism. We accept, confront, and even control change rather than insisting that everything is, and always will be, boring. It will never get better unless one takes the first step forward." She gave him a knowing, taunting smile, but he didn't respond, at least not visibly.

For just a second, Nozomi's face softened into something sincere, as if she was truly trying to be a wise older sister. "I mean it, Izuru. She... drives me mad sometimes—no, most of the time—but she's the only one that can talk me down whenever I go too far. I don't understand it myself," she admitted, "but I know it's real, and... it's... beneficial." It wasn't easy for an entity as powerful as Nozomi to so freely acknowledge that it was good that she could be kept in check, but as she just said, the nature of Hope was to be open and humble to change and criticism.

The silence felt like an eternity, Izuru still expressionless while Nozomi gave him a small, sad smile. She said nothing, but he still could've sworn that he heard her gentle voice in his head. Chiaki Nanami.

The name meant nothing to him. That was what he wanted to say. But as soon as he heard it, his hands clenched into fists and he found himself wondering why he wanted to say anything at all. Chiaki Nanami.

For once, Nozomi was the expressionless one as Izuru's hands, eyes, and body twitched, struggling to comprehend. I told you, Izuru, that is the difference between us. You chose Despair, and I Hope, and because of that, the woman I love is still alive. I've been able to protect her. Can you say the same, Kamukura?

Perhaps it seemed strange for Nozomi to refer to Izuru by his last name as if it wasn't also her own, but the way she saw it, she wasn't a Kamukura.

Whatever HE is, Nozomi thought, referring both to the boy in front of her and the first Hope's Peak headmaster, I am not. I am Photon Maiden. I am a Hanamaki. An Izumo. A Niijima. But above all else, I am a Fukushima.

Didn't he ever stop to wonder how and why "Nozomi" was chosen over "Kiko"? Perhaps it was the privilege of the Ultimates, but Noa had slightly more say and better treatment during her Talent operation than poor Hajime Hinata. Now all that remained of him was a broken husk.

He was a shell of his former self, less than a bullet casing on the roadside, but Nozomi? She floated away, content with her verbal victory. He would be along shortly for a rematch, she knew, but until then, she had work to do.

Let him sulk in his Despair. The TRUE Ultimate Ultimate Hope has friends worth living and fighting for!

AN: Yes, Noa is D4's Izuru, except while he has no emotion, she has too much, switching between nerd mode and crazy Kawaii mode LOL!